Tiny Errands Add Up!
by Katy on March 11, 2025 · 41 comments
I was feeling super unmotivated today, so I decided to run a cluster of tiny errands that normally wouldn’t rise to the top of my to-do list. Think along the lines of “the sum is greater than the parts.”
So today I:
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Cashed in all our winning scratch-it lottery tickets from our Christmas stockings. $5, baby! I chose to take it as an annual annuity.
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Took a paint sample to the paint store to match the color from my daughter’s childhood bedroom, which features multiple white spackle marks. It bugs me, although let’s face it . . . it’s an unused room that I go into once a week to water the plants, so not exactly a huge priority. However, I really do hate an unfinished project.
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Dropped off a box of Cream of Wheat that someone from my Buy Nothing group keeps forgetting to pick up.
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Returned a handful of craft beer can carriers topper thingies to a store for reuse.
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Dropped off and picked up library books.
I also took my daughter to run an errand, brought her to the house to raid the fridge, (No Spend March = no restaurants!) and then took her out to practice her driving.
No one of these individual errands would’ve granted me a sense of accomplishment, but together they added up. Plus, it got me out of the house . . . .
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m planning much the same kind of day. Vet to pick up supply of heartworm and flea-tick meds, Town Hall to renew my dog’s registration, gas at the station that sells Irving, which is a Canadian company. Call my senators and representative. (Vermont’s lone Representative is so good I call her once a week just to say thanks, and I’ve loved Bernie for decades.) I keep my eye on our other Senator who as of yesterday hadn’t announced his vote on the upcoming CR.
You’ve got me wondering how many other tiny things I might knock off on an unmotivated (actually, more like directionless) day.
If this is too political and you delete it I won’t take offense. Thanks for this blog, Katy.
Also, on these mega-unmotivated days, I’ve started to make a list of what I do, rather than what I need or plan to do (that second list is always in progress). But I write down every tiny thing I accomplish as I do it, which makes me a tiny bit more willing to do the next thing. Broke down roasted chicken, froze bones in a bag with vegetable trimmings. Froze drippings for later sauce and gravy. Froze half the dark meat in one freezer bag and half the white meat in another (because I am only one person). Gave bits to the cats (dog is allergic to chicken, of all things. So you see I get 4 or 5 “dones” out of just that one job. Run a load of laundry? Check. Clean cat boxes, check.
I haven’t gotten so desperate I write down tooth brushing, but on the hardest days I wouldn’t rule it out!
A friend of mine had once remarked that pioneer women diaries are made up of lists like this. Putting the accomplishments in words gives them weight!
I break down a load of laundry into four task — load, switch, fold, put away. Because it really is a four part process!
Katy–WOW–hard core!
This is officially my favourite thread.
Mental health win for the month!
I have often joked that I love to start a list with ‘start a list’ so I can immediately cross it off, however this idea of a running record of actions is brilliant (and yes, breaking a chicken down is a multi-part process).
@Katy, your defence of the 4 stages of laundry gets me thinking about the pre-stages of schlepping the basket down the steep stairs, and sorting (when I bother to do so). I could make it 6 stages in a heartbeat!
Yes, Cynthia! I love all of our Vermont congress members in D.C. Bernie and Peter Welch have been great for years and I have been very impressed with Becca Balint this past year. I rest a little easier knowing we are well represented.
Living in sub tropical Brisbane Australia, and can’t take my eyes off your heart breaking political dramas.Like you, a big Bernie fan, and very impressed by Elizabeth O’Connor, we aren’t hearing much here from AOC lately. After the Zelensky Oval Office fiasco, I was so sure that the Senate and House would erupt, and put America ahead of party politics, but it hasn’t happened yet Oddly what struck me most about the Zelensky fiasco was horror at the treatment of a guest! My experience of Americans of all stripes was that a guest in your home was sacrosanct, and the sneering at his clothes, the insistence that he thank them abjectly, was so deeply at odds with everything I had known about the American character, regardless of politics!
Wishing so hard for good news for you soon!
Why not move the plants to another room? That said, it’s pretty easy, of course, to paint over spackle.
1. I need to ship two more things I sold.
2. I need to clean up the yard.
3. I need to get stuff notarized. Why is this always such a pain?
4. I should reseed my clover lawn (in my backyard, so I don’t have to mow it).
5. I need to plant a dwarf crabapple tree I bought to pollinate my Rhode Island Greening apple tree, which is sterile. Rhode Island Greenings are the best pie apples ever, no competition. And yet super hard to find since they’re an heirloom from 1650. That’s why I planted one.
6. I need to push myself to write an article that for no reason I can’t seem to write. IDK why.
@Rose, I so misread your first sentence to be “That said, it’s pretty sassy… to paint over spackle”
And it made me laugh, thinking you were poking fun at Katy. Joke is on me, time to take my tired eyes to bed! (although I can just hear you teasing someone about it being sassy to paint over spackle….)
Back when I worked paint crew for my college summers, my fellow crew made me a beauty contest sash that read SPACKLE QUEEN.
I always forget that color matching for paint exists! What a great service.
I’m working on similar things for this whole week. Those aging piles of no deadlines family admin paperwork on both my desk and the dining table – hopefully done by the weekend. Doing some deep cleaning that I dislike. Updating our GO BAGS. And then there is that pile of library books calling to me.
Junk drawer to the rescue edition!
1. Putting things back into the front room, after the flooring installed and some furniture moved back in. Antique lamp had a CFL, but LEDs are more efficient. Found an LED in the junk drawer that still worked, had taken it out of a multi-blub fixture because of being too bright. But it had a chandelier base, too narrow for the regular-sized lamp socket. Rummaged around the junk drawer some more and found the converter that allows you to use the chandelier bulbs in regular sockets. Didn’t have to buy the LED or converter, it all fits the lamp but doesn’t show, and is the exact right amount of brightness.
2. Found the missing bed-knob for my bed, and got a bolt that fits better so it won’t fall off again.
3. Reusing some multiple outlets for the plugs that don’t show behind the big furniture. Again, they were in the junk drawer.
4. Also reusing the ext. cords where needed, also from junk drawer.
5. Ditto, some fancy outlet covers. Yes, it is a very large drawer.
And by “shopping” the junk drawer, I’m not spending during No Spend Month!
Fru-gal Lisa, Sounds like a Magic Junk Drawer to me!
Cynthia,
OK, I’m busted: it’s a very big and deep drawer setup in the laundry room. I think it was meant for detergent and bleach containers, etc.
But I keep all the laundry products on a shelf we installed over the washing machine. Especially good for those kinds of big bottles that have a spigot on them….which weren’t invented when this old house was built.
1. Had a few friends in for coffee. It was the perfect excuse to bake a coffee cake. I got to use up some sour cream that was languishing at the back of my refrigerator. I also used a half cup of applesauce in place of one of the “precious” eggs. It turned out perfect and everyone was delighted. Much cheaper than a meet-up at Starbucks.
2. Bunched errands together. Made my first grocery trip in several days. I have been purposely holding off to make it worth my time and gas to go out. First stop, as I often do, was at the “scratch and dent” store. I like to do a quick shop with my grocery list in hand to see if there are any specials. I was not disappointed. I found a 5 lb. bag of small red potatoes for $1.49, that right there was half the price I would have paid at the grocery store. I also found a 3 lb. bag of onions for a $1.48.and a 3 lb. for 1. 49 bag of apples. This store is right on the way and almost always has some good produce specials.
3. While I was out, I also stopped at the library. I returned two books, one was next month’s selection for my book club. Whenever possible I try to use the library for my book club reading. Most of the choices are not books I would ordinarily read and I appreciate that, but I don’t necessarily want to invest in them.
4. I tried a hack I had come across for removing stains from fabric or carpet. I had a stubborn stain on a small 5 x 7 rug and decided to try it. The hack is to spray the stain with foaming shaving cream, let it set for 30 minutes then clean with a damp cloth. While I was out, I stopped at the dollar store and picked up a can. It worked like a charm. Stain gone, shaving cream for the win!
5. I didn’t tank the stock market!!!
Sandra, I’ve never heard of this shaving-cream hack! Thanks for sharing.
Sandra, shaving cream is great for cleaning upholstery also. Try it first in a place that won’t show to be sure color doesn’t bleed. Even works for cat hairball cleanups.
I have a small errands trip planned for this week also. I also need to get some small paint sample bottles for several of my rooms. I just need to dig around for the paper samples with names/paint lids which I save from the old cans. All of my rooms could use some touch up.
Three months ago the local yoga studio moved. When it was 1/2 mile from our house I almost always walked to/from classes. Now it is 2 miles away and after accepting that it was a good move on their part I have found myself doing errands after classes. The new location is in our little downtown so I sometimes walk errands there and I also sometimes stop at a grocery store on my way home since I am already out and about with my vehicle.
Running tiny errands is a great motivator. For me it’s like doing a little bit of exercise that turns into my wanting to do more – exercise and everything else. I map out my errands like a FedEx driver so there are no left turns if at all possible.
It’s a “get stuff done” day here as I’m in full prep mode for our family’s 10 hour overnight flight to the UK tomorrow. Our first trip across the Atlantic! 5FT, Travel Edition:
1. Laundry, so much laundry.
2. Pack snacks from home for the trip/plane. The airline serves 2 meals during our flight, which will be a delight in itself seeing that I have had a free meal on a flight since 2017!
3. All 5 of us are taking just 1 carry on bag each. We’ll have laundry in our 2 rental apartments so we can carry less.
4. My mom is making dinner for us tonight (we live on the same property) so we don’t have to worry about it the night before our trip. Very grateful for her!
5. Planning to wear new, in package Bombas compression socks gifted to me via our local BN group on the plane. Never done that before, but I dislike the feeling of heaviness in my legs after long flights. We’ll see how it goes!
Lindsey G– a big YES on compression socks for long distance travel! Ever since a flight to Romania in 2005 when my legs swelled up and stayed swollen for ten days, I’ve worn the socks. No problem since with swelling, even after a 16 hour flight NYC to Taipei.
OOOO, thanks for the compression sock reminder, I have a transatlantic flight in 3 weeks and am just putting the list together of things I must remember. Am going to put sox in the pile right now!
I wish you and your family a very happy trip to the UK. DH and I made several trips to England (usually frugally crashing with friends who were doing semesters at our local university’s London center), and some of the happiest moments of our life together were spent there.
MB in MN ,
I do the same thing! My town is notorious for one way streets and If I plan it out correctly I can go from one end of town to the other and while getting errands done no back tracking or left hand turns!
We are having nice weather this week so trying to get stuff done outside and readying for true Spring.
Garden is supposed to be plowed soon, I need to check my seed supply and make a list. It is my goal to not have to buy much in stores this spring summer. I hope to grow enough to hopefully share with the homeless shelter.
I saw this morning a blurb that tesla stock is tanking and em is losing billions….he is throwing a hissy-pissy fit over it and I find that hilarious.
JC
I am new to this page. I love how folks acknowledge the small bits and bobs of frugality! I am with Cynthia, now I write down what I do accomplish for my list
A tired day for me following an iron transfusion yesterday. It always throws me a bit.
I went to PT though, and then a telehealth appointment. Short chat with a friend. Read to my grandson. Bought fruit and veg at local farm shop. Planted my tomato seeds (only 2 weeks late-I hope they’ll do ok). No seeds purchased, I already had free seeds left over from last year. I planted a few extras in case germination rates were a little lower.
I have a couple of cloth napkins that have mostly white background that had some stains. I rubbed lemon juice (free lemons) on them and put them in the sun. They are much improved.
Made cheese and potato pie with kale for me, dh ate leftover chickpea curry from yesterday.
That’s my day.
I had a carless day and ran errands on foot. I mailed a letter. I looked around for free piles, and found one with a piece of sandpaper that I can use on my $5 garage sale end table that needs work. I walked to Trader Joe’s, where they were giving out free chocolate peppermint cake mix. My husband came home and asked what possessed me to buy it (I always make cakes from scratch) and when I said it was free, he said, “Oh, of course!”
I didn’t support any “naughty” businesses!
Five frugal things…
1. I’m not doing well at No spend March. I just went to Dollar Tree because I needed some garden items, and of course I bought other stuff while I was there. Mostly junk food and candy. I wanted more flower seeds and I thought they were $1.25 each, but they were four for $1.25. My total was about $80 so you know I bought a ton of gardening stuff, but to my credit, this was at most 25% of what I would’ve paid elsewhere.
2. Still have not gone to the grocery store. Making do without milk, nuts, and a few other items, but I did buy English muffins at the dollar store and I will have to go shopping when we run out of cat food this weekend. I will not be going to Safeway.
3. Today I managed a complicated bartering/trade where I bought a pressure cooker, found out it was the wrong kind, sold it on eBay for $30 more than I paid, found a pressure canner from someone who wanted a water bath, canner, didn’t want to trade my canner, so I went out and found a water bath canner for her, traded her And I still ended up $25 in the black.
4. I was just thinking I need more used brick for my backyard pathways and a guy down the street just knocked down his chimney and said I can have the brick. I’m delighted. Picking up tomorrow.
5. I worked all day in the garden and I’m pooped and don’t feel like cooking. But we still have some odds and ends of leftovers so we’re calling it “tapas night.” And of course that delicious junk food for dessert ha ha.
Wow, your No 3 is complicated indeed 🙂 did you get a 2nd hand water bath canner for the trade or did you buy a new one?
I had one already and I got another one for her. I wanted both kinds.
Great #3 trade-o-rama. I now use my pressure canner as my water bath canner, wonder if I still HAVE a waterbath canner down there? And I still have a pressure canner that I had to upgrade from as it is aluminum and won’t work on my induction cooker. Maybe I should sell that on FB Marketplace!
Sell it!
* My friend gave me a packet of cat food that all of her 3 cats refused. Miraculously our cat seems to be okay with it! He’s not super enthusiastic but he eats it.
* We had re-subscribed to Netflix as my daughter had school holidays. I have now canceled the subscription again, will re-subscribe for 1 month again for the Easter holidays. She is the only one watching Netflix (well, I might watch one or two films during the month), so we only get it for longer school holidays.
* I bought a large sweet potato in Aldi and when I got to the check out the scales were not working so the check out staff member decided to give it to me for free!
* The rain has finally stopped for the moment so I am air drying all my laundry.
* Recent favourite library read: Exiles (Jane Harper)
I love to bunch errands together and get a ton of things done while I’m out. It makes me feel super productive and saves gas when I can do it all at once. Just yesterday, I took a long lunch break to…
#1 – Finish collecting signatures for my election petition
#2 – Submitted my election petition at the county election office
#3 – Signed to remove the car I sold from my car insurance
#4 – Dropped off papers for my Dad to read to prepare for a meeting
Even though it was just 4 things, they were all weighing on me as needing to be done. So… I did it! I didn’t spend a penny except for a little bit of gas. I then parked the car in the garage, where it’s not moving until I need to drive to campus for work next Tuesday.
Autumn, I have been reading your blog and I love your 1,000-hours-outdoors goal for 2025!! What a worthy goal.
Lesley, thank you for checking my blog out!! The 1,000 hours outdoors goal has been so fulfilling to attempt so far!!
Autumn, I’m glad to see a young person who also cares about the environment running for office. Go, you!
1. Spent Tuesday morning with “Wonder James” removing the torn and tattered plastic from my big greenhouse. Portable hand drills for a big win, there were over 200 self tapping screws to remove (non of which were stripped, miraculously!). The removed plastic still has some wear in it for tarping and maybe covering a smaller greenhouse frame. Wonder James has arranged with his friend to come help recover the big frame but the weather and other commitments means that won’t happen until just before I go on my trip, which is unfortunate. He will come earlier to finish clearing out the ‘inside’ as well as pour some concrete in one section to fight the pernicious blackberry.
2. In the afternoon I drove the hour+ to go see my aging mom, who had somehow managed to disconnect all of her devices – phone, internet, TV. Her walking friend’s daughter got worried about not being able to call so dropped in and figured out the phone wasn’t working, and phoned me on her cell.
I have avoided ‘doing’ mom’s technology (leaving it to my kids) but my daughter and her Gran currently have a fraught relationship due to Mom’s worsening memory and loss of tact and grace, so it was up to me. I got a call in to the service people and even though they don’t have me on their records as POA, I was able to get lots of support before I went down and arrange a phone call for when I was there.
Of course, once there I discovered Mom had (!!!) unplugged the phone and tv cable power, as well as unplugging her loud and flashing doorbell alarm. Sigh. I got everything plugged in, then worked on her TV (she had switched the batteries in her remote control, to add insult to injury). I REALLY do not do TV, did you know that televisions don’t actually require a TV anymore, it is just a cable box? Yeah, well I didn’t.
Then the lovely internet person called and although we no longer needed him, he informed me (sadly and with complete understanding that THIS WOULD CAUSE PROBLEMS) that Mom’s TV cable box was going to be replaced within the next couple of months and that the new boxes required people to learn a new system. Sigh again. Not looking forward to that, but shall we not borrow trouble from tomorrow, eh?
3. Not frugal but so worth it, drove Mom and met DD at a restaurant across town. Mom used to love going there and although she kept fussing about me ‘driving all that way’ she enjoyed the drives and her meal, and I got DD and Mom in the same space for the first time since early January when everything went south. Mom can’t remember what she did half an hour ago but has chosen to have a completely unreasonable resentment, and hold TIGHT to that resentment, too! Anyway, dinner avoided any unpleasantness and I think DD will be willing to keep trying with her Gran. WIN! Even though dinner wasn’t really frugal. DD did get at least another meal’s worth of takehome and since no alcohol was bought the cost were kept to a dull roar.
4. REPORT – the roasted cauliflower enchilada-type meal that I made was a super success. #2 son has a couple of pans in his freezer but I think he regrets that I didn’t cook more, he inhaled his supper and was very happy to take it for lunch.
5. The Car situation continues to evolve. #2 son arrived back home this morning to report that his car was behaving oddly. He has taken one of my cars for today, and I will delay removing the insurance from the so-called ‘extra’ car until we can determine what is going on. This is why I keep a second vehicle insured, as all of us are driving older cars and it is cheap insurance to allow folk to get to work/school even if a vehicle needs to be sidelined. I like to have a car for local trips, and my truck is a farm vehicle and for longer trips, but boy-howdy is there a lot of flex in where any vehicle is on any one day. Reminds me of the sharing of tools that we are talking about in these blog comments – if we have them and someone else can benefit, why not?
6. My lower back is talking loudly to me, which is frustrating as I have THINGS TO DO.